Flow control mechanism for filling nozzles



L. P. OLIVER Nov. 25, 1958 FLOW CONTROL MECHANISM FOR FILLING NOZZLES Filed Sept. 16, 1955 INVENTOR. LEONARD F. OLIVER BY ATTORNEY United States Patent FLOW CONTROL MECHANISM FOR FILLING NOZZLES Leonard P. Oliver, Paw Paw, Mich'., assignor to Positive Action Filler Tube Company, Kalamazoo, Mich., a partnership Application September 16, 1955, Serial No. 534,734-

3 Claims. (Cl. 141-353) This invention relates ingeneral to an apparatus for conveying liquidunder low pressure from a relatively le'ms'involved in filling said containers, many of which.

remain unsolved, are also well known. Paramount among such problems is the limit, self-imposed by the 7 equipment presently used, upon the number of bottles which can be filled by an individual filling unit in a given period of time. It is well settled that any increase in the filling speed of said equipment presently in use will create such an agitation of 'the liquid as to cause a prohibitive amount of thecarbon dioxide to escape. Thus, the filling capacity of present equipment has reached its ultimate limit in view of the need for maintaining an acceptable carbon dioxide content in the bottled beverage and without losing a prohibitive amount of carbon dioxide.

It has been found that the liquid containing the carbon dioxide must flow into the container or bottle from the dispensing unitwith the least amount of turbulence possible in order toprevent losses of carbon dioxide or unsatisfactory irregularities in the carbon dioxide content of the bottled beverage. It has also been found that air trapped in the bottle or liquid during the filling process will remove carbon dioxide from the liquid as said. air passes upwardly therethrough, thereby removing excessive. amounts of carbon dioxide-and/ or creating unsatisfactory irregularities in the carbon dioxide content of. the. bottled beverage in any group of bottles filled during a single run.

Another serious problem in the use of presentdispensing units arises from the fact that in high-speed bottling operations the relatively small necks of the bottles are not always exactly aligned with the dispensing tube of the dispensing unit. Thus, when the dispensing tube is inserted into the neck of the bottle, it may strike the mouth of the bottle and become misaligned. The valve which closes off the dispensing tube is usually located at" the lower end of the dispensing tube and such engagement between said tube and the bottle mouth usually results in a leaky valve thereafter. As a rule, a leaky valve necessitates a shutdown: of the machinery while the entire dispensing unit is replaced or the valveis repaired. If the dispensing unit: is removed, the carbonated liquid must be drainedfrom the tank, thereby permitting the carbon dioxide to escape and rendering such liquid unfit for use Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is the provision of an apparatus for dispensing a carbonated liquid from a reservoir into a container at a greater speed than was possible with previous equipment for the same or similar purposes while simultaneously reducing the ICC 2. losses of carbon dioxide gasfrom the liquid and reducing the variations in the carbon dioxide content of a series of containers filled by such apparatus.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an apparatus, as aforesaid, having a flow control valve which has a greater resistance to leaking, caused by unavoidable engagement with the containers, than any valve of a similar type presently in use.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will be-' come apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following specification and examining the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a central, cross-sectional view of a liquid dispensing apparatus embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragment of the lower portion of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of Figure 2.

For the purpose of convenience in description, the terms upper, lower, and derivatives thereof, will have ref erence to the liquid dispensing apparatus and parts thereof as appearing in Figures 1 and 2. The terms inner, outer, and derivatives thereof, will have reference to the geometric center of said apparatus;

General description In order to meet the objects and purposes set forth above, as well as others related thereto, I have provided a dispensing apparatus or unit 10 comprised of a body member 11, which extends into a suitable reservoir or tank 13 through an appropriate opening in the bottom. wall of Said tank. Said body member 11 has a support.

upon and associated with said body member 11 and said tube 14 for the purpose of dispensing a predetermined amount of liquid into said container 15 in a predetermined manner in response to movement of said bottle guide 16 by said container 15.

Detailed description As shown in Figure 1, the body member 11 has a base portion 18 and a top portion 19 connected by a pair of tubes 21 and 22. The base portion 18, of which said.

support flangellZ is a part, has a central, circular, axially vertical opening 23 therethrough which is concentric with, and spaced inwardly from, a downwardly opening, annular recess 24. The upper end of the dispensing tube 14 is securely and snugly disposed within the central opening 23 and extends downwardly from the base portion 18. A cylindrical, snifter fitting 25, which islarger than said recess 24, is secured to, and extends downwardly from, the base portion 18. Said fitting 25 has a cylindrical chamber" 26 in its upper end which commnnicateswith, and has substantially the same diameter as, the outer diameter of the annular recess 24. The lower end wall 27 of the chamber 26 is provided with a central opening 28. through which said dispensing:

tube 14 extends. Said wall 27 is also provided with an upwardly extending, annular boss 29 adjacent to said 7 central opening 28. The lower surface of said wall 27 is provided with a cylindrical recess concentric with said tube 14 into which a resilient ring 31 is snugly received.

The snifter fitting 25 (Figure. 1) is provided with an integral pipe connection 32 which extends radially outwardly from said fitting. A snifter passageway 33 is.

provided through the pipe connection 32 and the fitting 25 so that it opens into the chamber 26 through the upper surface of the annular boss 29. Said pipe connection 32, hence the snifter passageway 33, is connected to a suitable source of controllable gas pressure, not shown; The sniftervalve 34 (Figures '1 and 2) is comprised of a cylindrical tube 35, which encircles, and is spaced outwardly from, the dispensing tube '14. Said tube 35 1s also disposed concentrically within, and spaced inwardly from, the walls of the central opening 28 in said fitting 25. The valve 34 is provided near its upper end with a circular flange 36, which is disposed within, and spaced inwardly from, the walls of the cylindrical chamber 26. The lower surface of the flange 36 is provided with an annular recess 37 adjacent to the tube 35 in which a suitable sealing ring 38 is received for engaging the upper surface of the boss 29 and thereby closing the adjacent, inner end ofthe passageway 33. A spiral spring 39, which encircles the tube 14 within the recess 24 and the chamber 26, is held under compression between the upper surface of the flange 36 and the upper end wall of the recess 24 in said base portion 18. Thus, the snifter valve 34 is normally held in the closed position by the spring 39. The snifter tube 35 is provided with a plurality of openings 41 adjacent to the flange 36 and a plurality of openings 42 at the lower end thereof.

The bottle guide 16, which encircles the dispensing tube 14 below the snifter fitting 25, is provided with a cylindrical chamber 43 having an upper end wall 44. Said upper wall 44 is engageable both with the lower end of the snifter tube and the resilient ring 31 in the lower end of the fitting 25. However, said wall 44 does not engage the ring 31 until the valve 34 is moved upwardly against the compression of the spring 39. The bottle guide 16 is. provided with a downwardly and outwardly expanding guide bell 45 at the lower end thereof. A resilientlybacked guide stop 46 is provided within the cylindrical chamber 43 for engaging a stop collar 47, secured to the external surface of the dispensing tube 14 near the lower end thereof, to check the downward movement of the bottle guide 16 on the tube 14. The guide stop 46 is comprised of two semi-cylindrical portions snuglydisposed within the chamber 43 and snugly embracing the tube 14. The bottle guide 16 may be removed from the tube by removing the bell 45 from the remainder of the guideand then removing the two portions of said stop 46 from said tube 14 and said chamber 43. The spring 48, which is disposed between the upper wall 44 of the chamber 43 and the guide stop 46, provides a cushion for the bottle guide 16 when the stop 46 engages the collar 47 each time a bottle is moved away from said tube 14.

The lower end of the dispensing tube 14 is provided with a flow valve 17 for closing off said tube 14 at predetermined intervals. Said flow valve 17 is comprised of a head 51 having an integral sleeve 52 (Figure 2) extending upwardly therefrom for snug, but slidable, engagement with the external surface of the tube 14 at the lower end thereof. A valve rod 53 is threadedly secured to the valve head 51 and extends upwardly through the dispensing tube 14, being spaced inwardly therefrom, to a point within the body member 11. A valve gasket 54 is disposed within the sleeve 52 adjacent to the upper surface of the head 51 and is held in such position by a lock collar 55 for engagement by the lower end surface of the dispensing tube 14. Said lower end surface of the tube 14 is provided with a concentric, annular groove 56 (Figure 3) to effect complete sealing between the gasket 54 and said tube 14. The sleeve 52 is provided with a plurality, here eight, of circumferentially aligned, uniformly and closely spaced openings 57 through which the liquid passes from the dispensing tube 14 into the bottle or other container 15.

The top portion 19 of the body member 11 is provided with a closed chamber 60, the bottom wall of which is comprised of a flexible diaphragm 61. Said diaphragm 61 is adjustably secured to the upper end of the valve rod 53 by means of the link rod 62. Downward movement of the valve rod 53 is limited by engagement between the link rod 62 and the bracket 63 mounted upon, and extending downwardly from, the top portion 19. Upward movement of the valve rod 53 is limited by engagernent between the dispensing tube 14 and the valve gasket 54. Said upward movement of the rod 53 is effected by the existence of a relatively low pressure within the closed chamber 60 whereas said downward movement of the rod 53 is effected by creating a relatively high pressure in said chamber 60.

The closed chamber 60 is connected to the tubes 21 and 22 by the passageways 64 and 65, respectively, located in said top portion 19. The lower ends of said tubes 21 and 22 are connected to the annular recess 24 in the base portion 18 by means of the passageways 66 and 67 in said base portion. Thus, when the snifter valve 34 is raised, air under pressure flows into the chamber 60 through the. snifter passageway 33 from a convenient source, not shown. Thits air pressure is greater than the pressure within the tank 13 and both pressures are above atmospheric pressure. When the valve rod 53 is in its upper position (Figure 1), the openings 57 in the sleeve 52 are covered by the lower end of the tube 14. When said rod is in its lower position (Figure 2), said openings 57 are completely open. Movement of the rod 53 is controlled by appropriate adjustment of the rod 53 upwardly and downwardly with respect to the link rod 62, after which such adjustment is maintained by the collar 68. This adjustment also controls the extent to which said openings 57 remain unobstructed when said rod 53 is in its lowered position.

Operation At the beginning of a cycle of operation of the dispensing unit 10, a bottle 15 is moved upwardly toward the unit 10 by conventional conveyor means, not shown, so that the tube 14 moves downwardly into the neck of said bottle. Continued upward movement of the bottle 15 effects an engagement thereof with, and upward movement of, the bottle guide 16. As said bottle guide 16 approaches the snifter fitting 25, the upper wall 44 of said guide engages the lower end of the snifter tube 35 thereby releasing the seal between the gasket 38 and the annular boss 29, as shown in Figure 2. As the bottle guide 16 moves from its Figure 1 toward its Figure 2 position, the tube 35 first releases the seal between gasket 38 and the boss 39. At this time, the air under pressure within tube 33 communicates with the ambient atmosphere through passageway 28 and also through ports 42. When the snifter valve 34 has been moved to its Figure 2 position, the upper end wall 44 sealingly contacts the resilient ring 31 and blocks ofl' communication between the ambient atmosphere and the passageway 29 and ports 42. The air under pressure then passes into the annular recess 24, through the passageways 66 and 67 the tubes 21 and 22, and the passageways 64 and 65 into the closed chamber 60. Simultaneously the air under pressure passes through the ports 41, through the annular passageway between tube 14 and tube 35 into the chamber 43 and thence into the bottle. Thus, the pressure within the bottle and within the chamber 60 becomes the same as that of the pressurized air source connected to the passageway 33. When the pressure within the bottle and the chamber 60 have built up, the valve rod 53 moves downwardly thereby opening the flow valve 17 and removing the obstruction to the openings 57 in the sleeve 52. Liquid will then pass from the dispensing tube into the bottle 15. As shown in broken lines at 69 in Figure 3, the flow pattern of the liquid is such that any air located in the bottle below the flow valve 17 can escape upwardly between the adjacent streams of liquid flowing out of the openings 57. Since there are many relatively small openings instead of one or two large openings, turbulence, hence release of the carbon dioxide from the liquid, is held to an absolute minimum. Maximum release of the liquid, commensurate with the size of the dispensing tube 14, is efiiciently effected.

After the bottle has been filled to the desired level, the bottle 15 is moved downwardly away from the dispensing unit 10 by suitable conveyor means, not shown. This permits the bottle guide 16 to move downwardly thereby permitting the spring 39 to urge the snifter valve 34 into closed position. After the snifter valve 34 is thus closed, the pressure provided through passageway 33 is sealed off and the pressure within chamber 60 escapes to atmosphere through the openings 41 and 42 in the tube 35. The pressure within the tank 13, being greater than atmospheric, now becomes effective to raise the rod 53, thereby closing the valve 17 (Figure 1), until the next operating cycle is initiated by another bottle 15.

It will be observed by reference to Figures 1 and 2 that the sleeve 52 is in continuous, slidable contact with the lower end of the tube 14 throughout the cycle of operation. the flow valve and reduces, if not eliminates, the possibility of misalignment and a subsequent leak in case the valve head 51 should accidentally strike the top of one of the bottles 15.

I have found that the maximum output of a conventional dispensing unit when used to fill 12-ounce beverage bottles is approximately eighty bottles per minute. Faster filling produces prohibitive losses of carbon dioxide and/or unacceptable variations in the carbonation of the bottled beverage. However, by using the dispensing unit to which this invention relates, it has been possible to fill one hundred and twenty 12-ounce bottles per minute with a single dispensing unit, while requiring less carbonation than is necessary in the liquid when operating said conventional units at eighty bottles per minute. Furthermore, my unit produced less variation in the carbonation at the one hundred and twenty rate than said conventional equipment operating at the rate of eighty bottles per minute.

During a period of experimental operation, four of my dispensing units were used on a bottle filling machine having thirty-six additional, conventional dispensing units. During the period, over half of the conventional units developed leaky flow valves which caused shut-downs of the machine. However, none of my units developed a leak during this period. Thus, my invention has proved to be substantially superior to conventional, presently used equipment for the same purpose under actual and identical operating conditions.

Although a particular, preferred embodiment of my invention has been disclosed herein for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that variations or modifications thereof which lie within the scope of such disclosure are fully contemplated unless specifically stated to the contrary in the appended claims.

This arrangement assures positive seating of I claim:

1. An apparatus for dispensing a carbonated liquid from a reservoir into a bottle below said reservoir in response to movement of said bottle, comprising: a body member mountable upon, and extendable through an opening in, the bottom wall of said reservoir; an open ended tube secured near its upper end upon said body and extending downwardly threfrom, said upper end communicating with said reservoir; a rod extending through said tube and spaced therefrom; .a valve head secured to the lower end of said rod and engageable with the lower, axial end of said tube for effecting a liquid-tight seal' therewith; a sleeve on said valve head snugly, slidably and continuously embracing the lower end of said tube; a plurality of closely spaced, circumferentially aligned openings through said sleeve adjacent to said valve head, said openings being covered by said tube when said end thereof engages said valve'head; a bottle guide slidably supported upon saidtube; and rod actuating means on said rod actuable in response to movement of said guide and operable for moving said valve head with respect to said tube.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein a gasket is mounted upon said valve head for engagement by said tube, each said opening in said sleeve extends downwardly to a point of tangency with the upper face of said gasket, and the lower, axial end of said tube has an annular, concentric groove therein.

3. In an apparatus for dispensing liquid from a reservoir into a container, the combination comprising: a body member mounted upon, and extending through an opening in the bottom wall of said reservoir; an open-ended tube secured near its upper end upon said body and extending downwardly therefrom, said upper end communicating with said reservoir; an upwardly and downwardly movable rod extending through said tube and spaced radially therefrom; valve means adjacent the lower end of said tube, said valve means having a plurality of closely spaced, circumferentially aligned openings; .a valve head secured to the lower end of said rod for efiecting a liquidtight seal with said valve means, said valve head being engageable with the lower axial end of said rod and closing said openings when in such position; a bottle guide slidably supported upon said tube; and rod actuating means on said rod actuable in response to movement of said bottle guide and operable for moving said valve head with respect to said tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,164,360 Kiefer Dec. 14, 1915 1,216,574 Kiefer Feb. 20, 1917 2,168,841 Kantor Aug. 8, 1939 

